Comments on: Bay Area bridge shutdown puts transportation network in the spotlight http://t4america.org/blog/2009/10/30/bay-area-bridge-shutdown-puts-transportation-network-in-the-spotlight/ Fri, 10 Feb 2012 22:36:19 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Andy Singer http://t4america.org/blog/2009/10/30/bay-area-bridge-shutdown-puts-transportation-network-in-the-spotlight/#comment-3605 Andy Singer Mon, 02 Nov 2009 06:07:11 +0000 http://t4america.org/?p=4298#comment-3605 Oberstar's emphasis on creating "a substantial, dedicated funding stream for maintaining roads and bridges" is misguided. There is more than enough money to do this right now. The problem is state DOTs spend all their money on expansion rather than maintenance. Oberstar should just focus on the second point-- "preventing states from diverting (existing) funds to more politically populara highway expansion projects." T4America (and Oberstar): DON'T ADVOCATE CREATING NEW HIGHWAY REVENUE STREAMS FOR STATE DOTS! MAKE THEM SPEND THEIR EXISTING MONEY ON MAINTENANCE! Any new funding should be poured into public transit. With global climate change and peak oil descending on us, we must do everything possible to reduce VMT ...and we can't reduce VMT if state DOTs keep building new roads, which they are currently doing at a breath-taking pace. In 10 years, when gas is eight dollars a gallon or more, no one will be able to afford to use our existing highway infrastructure, let alone new roads. The Bay Bridge is a fiasco-- CALTRANS rammed through a car-only east span over the objections of voters, mayors and even governor Gray Davis. The original bridge carried light-rail. It's 5 lanes move just 7500 cars per hour at rush hour ...compared to over 15000 people per hour moved by BART on a single track. CALTRANS doesn't need more money for "maintenance". It just needs to use the money it has more wisely. Oberstar’s emphasis on creating “a substantial, dedicated funding stream for maintaining roads and bridges” is misguided. There is more than enough money to do this right now. The problem is state DOTs spend all their money on expansion rather than maintenance. Oberstar should just focus on the second point– “preventing states from diverting (existing) funds to more politically populara highway expansion projects.” T4America (and Oberstar): DON’T ADVOCATE CREATING NEW HIGHWAY REVENUE STREAMS FOR STATE DOTS! MAKE THEM SPEND THEIR EXISTING MONEY ON MAINTENANCE! Any new funding should be poured into public transit. With global climate change and peak oil descending on us, we must do everything possible to reduce VMT …and we can’t reduce VMT if state DOTs keep building new roads, which they are currently doing at a breath-taking pace. In 10 years, when gas is eight dollars a gallon or more, no one will be able to afford to use our existing highway infrastructure, let alone new roads.

The Bay Bridge is a fiasco– CALTRANS rammed through a car-only east span over the objections of voters, mayors and even governor Gray Davis. The original bridge carried light-rail. It’s 5 lanes move just 7500 cars per hour at rush hour …compared to over 15000 people per hour moved by BART on a single track. CALTRANS doesn’t need more money for “maintenance”. It just needs to use the money it has more wisely.

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